Udabno & the Rainbow Hills
Candy-striped badlands and the Mravaltskaro reservoir in the David Gareja semi-desert — a Martian landscape two hours from Tbilisi.
- Time needed
- 3 h
- From Tbilisi
- 85 km · 1:45
- Road
- Unpaved sections
- Car needed
- Crossover / SUV
- Season
- May–October
- Entry
- free
This is where Georgia does its best impression of Mars. Between the village of Udabno and the David Gareja monastery complex, the steppe suddenly breaks into coloured stripes — bands of rust red, copper, cream and pale green, mineral-rich sedimentary layers folded upwards when the Eurasian and Afro-Arabian plates collided.
The largest of these "rainbow hills" cluster around the Mravaltskaro reservoir, roughly 10 km northwest of the Gareja Lavra at 510 m, where turquoise water among striped mounds makes a surreal oasis in the semi-desert. Smaller but equally vivid hills rise right on the approach to the monastery itself.
Worth building a loop around:
- Mravaltskaro reservoir and the banded badlands surrounding it
- Udabno village — a lonely steppe settlement, known for its Oasis Club café
- David Gareja Lavra — the natural continuation of the same day
The stripes are sharpest in early morning and the hour before sunset. In spring the steppe turns green and fills with poppies; by high summer it is scorched, shadeless and seriously hot.
Practical advice
The tracks to the hills are bare earth — after rain the clay turns to grease and low cars bog down, so come in dry weather. There are no shops or fuel out here: stock up on water, food and petrol beforehand. For lunch, the Oasis Club in Udabno is the reliable option. Vipers live in the tall grass in summer — wear closed shoes and watch your step. There is effectively no shade anywhere; a hat is non-negotiable.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi take the Kakheti highway to Sagarejo, then turn south on the Udabno road — the stretch to the monastery has been fully asphalted in recent years. From the village and the Lavra approaches, dirt and gravel tracks branch off towards the hills and Mravaltskaro. Count on about 85 km and an hour and three quarters. The last fuel is in Sagarejo. In dry weather a high-clearance SUV is enough; after rain, avoid the earth sections entirely.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
David Gareja
Sixth-century cave monasteries carved into a semi-desert ridge — the most unusual landscape in Georgia.
Ninotsminda Cathedral
A roofless 6th-century tetraconch near Sagarejo — one of the oldest large churches in Georgia and a ruin worth the detour.
Manavi Fortress
The ruined stronghold of the Kakhetian kings above Manavi village, looking out over the Iori plateau and its vineyards.
Best car for this trip
Unpaved sections
Guides
- Do You Need a 4x4 in Georgia? We rate the road surface and the minimum car class for all 267 places in our database. 227 of them need nothin
- The Best Time to Visit Georgia, Counted Month by Month Georgia does not have one season. It has two countries: a 60% country from November to April and a 99% country
Pickup locations
Car Rental at Tbilisi Airport — 28 km (straight line)